Real Estate Pros · September 26, 2025 · 17 min listen

How to Spot Deals & Scale Your Real Estate Business

With Daryl Hubbard

Show summary

In this episode of the Investor Fuel podcast, host Leo Wehdeking interviews Daryl Hubbard, a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years of experience. Daryl shares insights into his approach to identifying properties, flipping houses, and navigating the current real estate market. He emphasizes the importance of building relationships, effective communication, and overcoming challenges in the industry. Listeners will gain valuable knowledge about real estate investing strategies and the significance of maintaining a strong network.

Key takeaways

Daryl has been investing in residential real estate since 2002, primarily flipping houses in the Metro Atlanta area inside the 285 loop, with some work extending into the Griffin area.
He sources deals through driving for dollars (looking for high grass, boarded windows, code violation tags), inside contacts checking property records and code violations, and a network of bird dogs doing circle prospecting.
For investors, he acts as a one-stop shop: finding the property, pricing it, creating a renovation vision, and providing a scope of work, budget, timeline, and hard money lender connections — though he does not offer property management.
He describes the current market as a buyer's market, meaning more inventory than buyers and more listings than closings per month, a shift from the seller's market trend that ran from roughly 2011-2012 to recently, when homes sold in 30-45 days.
Georgia's squatters' rights law means squatters found in flip properties can't simply be forcibly removed; investors must go through legal channels to get them out.
His approach to managing teams centers on frequent communication: following up with key people two to three times a week, leaving printed scopes of work at properties, and sending clients regular photo/video progress updates.
He tells frustrated investors that even in the current market, a flip done over three to six months with the right scope and pricing can still produce solid profit, even if it's not the $50,000-$100,000 some hope for.

In this episode

About Daryl Hubbard

Daryl Hubbard has been in the real estate industry since 2002, focusing on residential investing and house flipping. He operates primarily in the Metro Atlanta area (inside the 285 loop) and surrounding areas like Griffin, helping investors identify properties, scope renovations, and connect with hard money lenders.

Listen to the audio

“It's a very, very cutthroat business.”
Daryl Hubbard

“I try to treat people the way I want to be treated.”
Daryl Hubbard

“You're gonna make some good money for sure... for making a few phone calls and three to six months of work.”
Daryl Hubbard

house flippingMetro Atlanta real estatedriving for dollarsbuyer's market vs seller's marketsquatters rights Georgiahard money lendingteam communicationdeal sourcingbird dogs

Questions answered in this episode

What does it mean that real estate is currently in a buyer's market?

Daryl explains a buyer's market means there is more housing inventory than buyers, with more homes listed for sale than are closing each month. This is a shift from the seller's market trend that ran roughly from 2011/2012 onward, when homes would typically sell within 30-45 days of listing. Now buyers are more reserved, waiting for interest rates or home prices to drop, and both are starting to correct.

How does Daryl Hubbard find distressed properties to flip?

He uses several methods: inside contacts who check property records and code violations, driving for dollars (looking for high grass, boarded windows/doors, and code violation tags on homes), and bird dogs who do circle prospecting to track down homeowners. He also personally drives neighborhoods for two to three hours at a time looking for leads himself.

What services does Daryl provide to his flipping investors?

He identifies the property, negotiates a good price, develops a vision for the renovation, and provides a scope of work, budget, and timeline. He also connects investors with hard money lenders, positioning himself as a one-stop shop. He does not offer property management, so investors who want to hold rentals need a separate company for that.

What are some of the biggest challenges Daryl has faced while flipping houses?

He has dealt with squatters in homes, which is complicated in Georgia because of the state's squatters' rights law that prevents forcibly removing them, requiring legal processes instead. He has also found animals (packs of dogs, raccoons, cats) that destroyed homes, and opened walls to find unexpected damage beyond normal insulation issues.

How does Daryl manage his team and keep deals on track?

He emphasizes constant communication, following up with key team members two to three times a week, leaving printed scopes of work at the property, and emailing relevant parties about next steps. He also keeps clients updated with regular photo and video updates on project progress, which he says answers most of their questions before they have to ask.

Resources and links

Daryl Hubbard’s Email Address: rareteamllc@gmail.com
Daryl Hubbard’s Phone No.: (678) 300-027

Full transcript

Daryl Hubbard (00:00)

Yeah, I mean there’s there’s so many Absolutely so many It’s just you know when because I do a lot of More flipping per se my investors more want to do flipping a lot of my investors don’t really want to be landlords They might hold on to a couple properties depending on you know

sense and everything else. but yeah I mean it’s when you’re you know flipping some of these homes you just never know. I mean we’ve walked in and there’s been squatters in the home which you know you know Georgia has a squatters rights law

So once that happens, it’s not like something that we can just take them by force, throw them out.

Leo Wehdeking (02:11)

Hey everyone, welcome to the Investor Fuel podcast. I’m your host Leo Wehdeking and today I am joined by someone I’ve been looking forward to chatting with, Daryl Hubbard. He’s actually been making serious moves in the real estate industry. Daryl, glad to have you here, man.

Daryl Hubbard (02:26)

Hey Leo, thanks for having me on, I really appreciate the invite.

Leo Wehdeking (02:29)

Yeah, no worries, man. Daryl, I think our listeners are really going to take something away from how you’ve been approaching the real estate business and the knowledge that you have in investing. right. So for the people that are not familiar with your world, can you give us a short version on what’s your main focus these days?

Daryl Hubbard (02:50)

Yeah, so I’ve been in the industry since 2002. So real estate residential investing, that’s one of my biggest primary visions right now and wants to continue that for sure.

Leo Wehdeking (03:05)

all right that’s cool man and can you tell the audience in what markets are you operating in?

Daryl Hubbard (03:10)

So we service the Metro Atlanta area. We service some other areas as far as kind of Griffin area, but we try to stay kind of around the Metro Atlanta area. Anybody that’s familiar with that area, basically, it has a surrounding highway called 285, and that’s pretty much considered your Metro Atlanta area. So kind of anywhere.

and that we might go a little bit south, a little bit west, east, north, but that’s kind of the parameters that we try to stay in.

Leo Wehdeking (03:39)

All right, right. Daryl, actually something that caught my attention about you is the way that you’ve been able to help investors to identify properties and how you, with the knowledge that you have, how is the whole process of identifying the properties for your investors? Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Daryl Hubbard (04:00)

Yeah, absolutely. So I’ve got several kind of inside people, whether they’re looking at property records, code violations, whatever it may be. We also, you know, we do what’s called driving for dollars, which is you drive around.

You see some homes that maybe have some high grass. They’ve got some boarded up windows and doors. Maybe they have some red tags or some stickers on the front doors, usually a violation of some kind of code of such. And we like to jot that address down and we like to follow up, see if we can do some circle prospecting on that home and see if we can’t find the homeowner and make…

several you know kind of what we call bird dogs in the industry that are able to do that. That way it kind of you know I’m leveraging their time and their experience on that and also I’m doing it myself. I mean you know I might be you know flipping a property and I might see you know I’ll kind of drive around the neighborhood or kind of the area I’ll spend a you know good afternoon or a good two or three hours to drive around and see what I can kind of find.

But yeah, there’s so many different ways, especially with technology, to get that information on some of these homes. But we’re trying everything.

Leo Wehdeking (05:58)

Right, all right. Actually, that’s not easy these days. Daryl, now you mentioned something about flipping houses. That’s actually something that everybody is interested in doing nowadays when it comes about real estate. Sometimes they don’t want to keep the property. They just want to invest it and get some type of ⁓ return. So how do you help people to do that?

Daryl Hubbard (06:19)

Well, that’s kind of one of my biggest specialty and strengths is I’m able to identify the property, get it for a good price, get a good vision on what we can turn this house into, get them a good scope of work, a budget, timeline, even hard money lenders if they need that. So that’s kind of really my true strength is being kind of a one stop shop, all in one, whatever you want to

Yeah, mean, it’s taken me a long time to do it. It’s some 15, 20 years to be able to do it. But yeah, I think that’s probably my biggest strength right there.

Leo Wehdeking (06:55)

Alright, yeah, that’s actually not easy, know to keep to keep your business for all these years running smoothly That’s not easy What’s been the key to actually? being Able to keep your business running for all these years, especially when the interest rates, know They go up and sometimes they go down right now. You mentioned something that we are at a buyer’s market so

What does that mean when, you know, for a person that actually have no clue about real estate, what does it mean, you know, that we are at a buyer’s market right now?

Daryl Hubbard (07:28)

So yeah, buyer’s market typically means that there’s more inventory than there is buyers, or there’s more homes going on for sale than closing per month. So we have been on a kind of upwards directory ever since probably 2011, 2012, where the market has been trending up and up and up, more of a seller’s market, which means the seller can put the home on the market, and it’s gonna sell probably within the

first 30, 45 days. Now it’s kind of changed a little bit. Buyers are a little bit more reserved. They’re wanting to get that perfect home or the home that they’ve been kind of waiting out for. Some people are waiting for interest rates to come down. Some people are waiting for home prices to come down. And all of those are starting to come into fruition right now. mean, interest rates are hopefully coming down here soon.

And home prices definitely, think just about a nationwide are starting to see a correction.

Leo Wehdeking (08:24)

Okay, all right, all right. now, Darrell, changing the subject a little bit, I know that every operator has a moment where things got real, maybe a deal that went sideways or a time that they have to pivot really fast. Do you mind sharing one of those moments?

Daryl Hubbard (09:21)

sense and everything else. That’s one thing I don’t do. I don’t do property management so that would have to be like a separate company that they would have to you know hire and and everything like that but but yeah I mean it’s when you’re you know flipping some of these homes you just never know. I mean we’ve walked in and there’s been squatters in the home which you know you know Georgia has a squatters rights law

So once that happens, it’s not like something that we can just take them by force, throw them out.

So we have to, you know, there’s several different legal ways for us to get any kind of squatters out. I mean, we’ve had all kinds of packs of dogs, everything you can think of raccoons, cats, that’s just destroyed the house. and you, I mean, you just open up a wall and you just never know what you’re going to find. I mean, besides, you know,

more than just some insulation, I’ll say that. So there are so many different challenges and it’s always, and I guess that’s one thing that’s exciting is you just, it’s exciting, it’s frustrating, but to me, what keeps me going is that vision on, I know what I can do with this house. I know that I can deliver a good product.

And I mean, I’ve just always just enjoyed that part of it. So it’s just staying focused on that end result.

Leo Wehdeking (10:56)

Alright, now that you say focus, what are you most focused on solving or scaling next?

Daryl Hubbard (11:01)

Yeah, just coming over, just, you know, probably I would say getting over the hurdles on some of these investors, you know, that are just, you know, I don’t see how this can work or, you know, they don’t have the vision that I have or, you know, they just are kind of down because of the market. They just don’t think it’s gonna work. don’t, you know, maybe not like the area or the style of home.

the condition that it is currently, just think it’s just, you know, this is too much and they get a little bit frazzled.

per se and a little stressed out. So overcoming all those objections and that kind of negativity and just, and again, just keep the eye on the prize and stay focused, stay positive that it’s, and you know, we’re gonna get this and you’re gonna make, maybe not make $100,000, know, maybe not even make $50,000, but you’re gonna make a good amount of money. You’re gonna, you know, for making a few phone calls and you know, three to six months of work, you’re gonna make some good

money for sure.

Leo Wehdeking (11:59)

Even in this market right now? Yeah? Alright. Okay. Alright. Well, it seems like you got everything in place. Alright. So… Almost everything. Almost everything. Almost everything. Alright. Alright. Now, Darrl, I know that a lot of people that are listening, they’re either…

Daryl Hubbard (12:01)

Yeah. Yeah.

Not everything. I tried to, but everywhere.

Leo Wehdeking (12:18)

early in their journey or they’re just looking to level up, alright, and I think they’ll benefit from hearing this. When it comes about building relationships and growing up your network, what’s made the biggest difference for you?

Daryl Hubbard (12:30)

Yeah, mean, the building their relationships, keeping the good relationships, knowing, you know, who you can talk to, who you can trust, that is so key in this, in this world. Because so many people are wanting to snatch deals from underneath you are, you know, so I, it’s unfortunate it’s gotten to be like that. But it’s a very, it is a very, very cutthroat business.

Leo Wehdeking (12:53)

Yeah, there is a lot of competition outside, especially

in the real estate world. ⁓ I’m telling you because I have like out of 10 friends, eight of them are real estate agents, you know, and they’re all good. You know, they help each other. Sometimes whenever they have a property and, know, like they don’t have.

Daryl Hubbard (12:58)

Yes.

Yeah.

Leo Wehdeking (13:14)

the investor for it, they always look around within themselves to see if there is a possibility of making a deal with that property. All right, man. you tell us how you’ve been able to manage your team and keep it whole? Because I know that you mentioned that

Daryl Hubbard (13:25)

And that’s what it’s about. I’m glad to hear that. Yeah, that’s what it’s about.

Leo Wehdeking (13:38)

one of the things that you see as a struggle, not as a struggle but maybe an area that you can work on a little bit more is managing your team, having the right people in place. So can you tell us a little bit how you’ve been able to achieve that while also focusing in the other areas of the real estate?

Daryl Hubbard (14:44)

Yeah, I mean it just goes back to, you know, kind of one big thing for me is communication.

So I’m communicating constantly. you know, it’s, it’s, you know, providing the team with, you know, a scope of work, leaving folders at that house with the scope of work printed, emailing certain people that need to know what the scope of work is, what the next steps are. And it’s just, you know, maybe not a daily, but it’s, it’s almost a, you know, two to three times a week following up with, with, with key people on my team to kind of make sure that things are moving along.

they should be and same thing with the client just those touches you know the follow-ups hey pictures videos this is where we’re at this is the next steps that answers a lot of questions that they may have is that they can receive you know some pictures every few days and an email saying hey this is where we’re at right now this is the next step and then after that this is probably going to be the next two or three steps past that

So communication and it’s just that golden rule, you know, I try to treat people the way I want to be treated. So I think if people can kind of, you know, go, then that probably goes with just a lot of businesses in relationships as you follow those two.

Leo Wehdeking (15:43)

Alright.

Yeah, not only

in real estate, I believe that communication is actually the key for success in every aspect, whether it’s in real estate, even in real life.

Communication is the key and that’s something that you cannot fake. Okay, because you need to be constantly Communicating, know what you want your team to do. So yeah, actually that’s something very good for me relationships are everything All right, man. Very good. Very good now Daryl before we wrap up if someone wanted to reach out to you connect with you or even Collaborate, you know with you. What’s the best way for them to reach out to you?

Daryl Hubbard (16:38)

I’m always on my cell phone, that’s, emailing me isn’t probably gonna get a fast response. I mean, they can at rareteamllc at Gmail, but hitting me up on my cell phone, give me a quick call or a text would be the best. That number is 678-300-0275.

Leo Wehdeking (16:54)

Alright, alright.

Alright, perfect, perfect. Well, listen, Daryl, ⁓ I appreciate your time, your story, and also your perspective. Alright, we need more people in this space who are actually doing it the right way. So thanks again for being on the show. And for those of you just tuning in, alright, if you got some value from this, just make sure you’re subscribed. Alright, we got more conversations coming up with operators just like Daryl who are out there building real businesses. Until then, we’ll see you on the next episode, guys.